October 18, 2013

Chanel Nº5 has long been associated with Marilyn Monroe, and now the new Chanel Nº5 campaign inspired by Marilyn Monroe’s infamous quote will begin this fall in print and on television. Here’s what Chanel had to say…

FROM LEGEND TO TRUTH THE STORY OF A FAMOUS QUOTE…
Once upon a time there was the most desirable woman of the 20th century…
Marilyn Monroe – the icon with a fresh sensuality – was the very essence of femininity. When she adopted CHANEL N°5, did she know what Mademoiselle Chanel had said of the bold fragrance back in 1921 : “I want a woman’s fragrance that smells like a woman” ?
Back then, the legend that this free and passionate woman wore nothing to bed but a few drops of CHANEL N°5 rocked the world. Her candid declaration of love for the quintessential feminine fragrance was there in black and white, in an article published on August 7, 1952 that accompanied her first cover of Life Magazine: “Marilyn, what do you wear to bed? So I said I only wear CHANEL N°5.”
Today, that legend has become a reality. While perusing the archives on the star, the House of CHANEL discovered an unreleased recording capturing the spontaneous ambassadress’ original words.
Flashback on the soundtrack : in 1960, Georges Belmont, editor-in-chief of Marie-Claire magazine *, interviewed the star of the film “Let’s Make Love” by Georges Cukor. On the spur of the moment, Marilyn confirmed the sincerity of her love for N°5: “You know, they ask me questions. Just an example: ‘What do you wear to bed? A pyjama top? The bottoms of the pyjamas? A nightgown?’ So I said, ‘CHANEL N°5’, because it’s the truth… And yet, I don’t want to say ‘nude’. But it’s the truth !”
Vibrant, innocent and free, her voice is part of the universal collective unconscious. A stirring testimony. The height of seduction. The height of emotion.
With this declaration, and the photo by Ed Feingersh ** showing her with a bottle of N°5 nestled in her décolleté, she definitively established N°5 as the fragrance of timeless femininity…

October 1, 2013

We knew the Chanel entitled its Spring/Summer 2014 collection “art” but taking one look at the decor, and it’s clear Karl took it to the next level. Set in an all-white gallery setting, the walls were covered with Chanel-inspired canvases and sculptures. When I first saw it, my jaw dropped and I thought, I want all of it — and that’s before I even saw the fashion!

Just yesterday I posted about the holiday makeup collection and today I’m giving you a preview of what to expect next spring. Peter Philips didn’t hold anything back — models’ eyes were works of art themselves, looking like canvases and palettes all at once. Here are the products Peter Philips used to create the look for the Chanel Spring/Summer 2014 ready-to-wear show.

September 30, 2013

The show is tomorrow (it’s still Monday in California) — on October 1st. I can’t wait to see what Kar Lagerfeld has in store for us. We can see from the invite that the theme is “art” — knowing how involved Coco Chanel was in the creative scene, I look forward to see the collection. Stay tuned for collection reviews and images!

Chanel has released its Holiday 2013 costmetics collection called Nuit Infinie de Chanel, a glamorous collection that pairs wonderfully with the festivities of the holiday season. The collection will be at Chanel counters and boutiques in October.

Setting a captivating tone for Holiday, a new makeup collection expresses the magic and mystery of an endless night. The refinement of beige is emboldened by a sweep of bronze on the eyes. Deep ruby red lingers alluringly on lips, for a seductive invitation to the season. Experience the pleasure of intense colour… and glamour that’s revealed from within.

MASCARA GEL IRISÉ Sparkling Mascara Top Coat
An exciting flourish for lashes makes the holidays even brighter. Designed to be worn either alone or over black mascara, a new shimmering top coat enchants with every brushstroke of sheer, bronze-platinum iridescence. $30.00

Here’s the latest installment of Inside Chanel — a five-part series focusing on the biggest mystery of Chanel — Coco Chanel herself.

‘Coco’, ‘Mademoiselle’ and ‘Gabrielle Chanel’ aim to expose Mademoiselle Chanel’s travels, loves and choices that influenced her style and visionary spirit. Similarly, ‘Coco by Karl’ and ‘CHANEL by Karl’ reveal CHANEL Artistic Director Karl Lagerfeld’s interpretation of Mademoiselle Chanel’s values, his approach to fashion and style and his devotion to creativity. These exceptional mini movies offer a remarkable take on the story of Mademoiselle Chanel and her tremendous legacy, which constantly serve as Karl Lagerfeld’s inspiration.

INSPIRATION
For January’s makeup, I was inspired by 1930s screen star Carole Lombard. I love the way the women of that early film era were lit; they just glowed with feminine radiance. I wanted her makeup to reflect that.

BLUSH
I dabbed Le Blush Creme de Chanel in Revelation on the apples of her cheeks with my fingers.

BROWS
I defined her brows with Votre Vu Arch de Triumphe in Fair using a small angled brush and comb.

EYESHADOW
On her eyes, I began with a base of Ellis Faas liquid shadow in #s202. I then applied CHANEL Quadra Eyeshadow in Seduction. I used the soft pink and burgundy colors to create an ultra feminine feeling that would complement her blush-colored gown. I blended the deep burgundy into the crease then used the pale pink shimmer over the lids and brow bones.

MASCARA
I curled her lashes and then applied Make Up Forever Smokey Extravagant mascara in Black to the top lashes only. I finished her eyes with a set of 100% Mink lashes by Velour.

LIPS
I completed her look with CHANEL Rouge Coco Shine Hydrating Sheer Lipshine in Boy on the lips, a soft, shimmering petal color to pick up the color from her eye makeup but not compete with it.

NAILS
I applied CHANEL Le Vernis Nail Colour in Rose Cache to her nails to complete the look.

ROSE BYRNE
Makeup by CHANEL Celebrity Makeup Artist Kate Lee

INSPIRATION
Rose wore a custom gown that was the most amazing blush shade, so I wanted to make sure that she didn’t “disappear” with a look that was too natural.

SKINCARE
I prepped Rose’s skin by misting her with CHANEL Hydra Beauty Essence Mist and then following quickly with CHANEL Hydra Beauty Gel Yeux. Next, I used a small amount of CHANEL Le Lift Creme Fine to give a beautiful, velvety, firm texture to her complexion.

FOUNDATION
Rose is blessed with beautiful, even-toned skin, so I just used CHANEL Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour SPF 15 No. 30 to diffuse the light and give a velvet matte finish. I applied it with a large brush then used a damp beauty blender sponge to melt it into the skin for perfect coverage.

EYES
I decided on a late 70’s Helmut Newton-esque look. I started by defining the socket with the darkest color in the CHANEL Quadra Eyeshadow in Eclosion. I then blended the peach above the socket to melt the socket away. The lash line was defined by wetting the matte brown shadow and blending out. I finished the eye by adding a coat of CHANEL Inimitable Waterproof Mascara in Noir, then feathered in a few extra lashes from both strip and individual Ardell.

CHEEKS
I used Le Blush Creme de Chanel in Presage to add an apricot hue to Rose’s apples; it’s a great neutral and pairs very well with a warm brown eye shadow.

LIPS
The lip was a beautiful deep rose with a violety hue: CHANEL Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Colour in Byzantin. The lip balanced out the eye and completed the look.

Nails by Chanel Celebrity Manicurist Ashlie Johnson

NAILS INSPIRATION
My inspiration was Rose!

COLOR
We chose CHANEL Le Vernis Nail Colour in Rose Moire (available October 2013). Not only did I get a kick out of “a rose for Rose,” it was the perfect color to bring an updated look to the nails. We loved this soft rose shade and metallic finish, and it was a chic complementary finish to her jewelry.

RED CARPET NAIL TRICK
When using a metallic polish like this one, don’t shake or roll the bottle before application. Doing so can create air bubbles, which show up more in metallic polish than other finishes.

September 12, 2013

Milan Station is a well known second-hand shop for gently used or new luxury handbags. They noticed something about the women that sold their bags — sometimes, they didn’t want to really sell their bags because of the emotional attachment they had. Seeing a need, they expanded their business with a lending unit: Yes Lady Finance.

Yes, that’s the name: Yes Lady Finance. You can bring in a bag and pawn it for a small loan. You have a grace period to pay the loan back and you’ll get your bag at the end of the period. Let’s just hope ladies aren’t using these loans to buy more handbags!